Obama's Broadband Challenge

[Commentary] President Barack Obama is starting his new administration's broadband policy with a contradiction. On one hand he wants to delay the Feb 17 digital TV transition date in order to buy more time for millions of Americans who don't yet have the conversion technology necessary to receive digital signals. Cutting off millions of constituents from their primary source of news and entertainment wouldn't just be politically disastrous; it would be socially unconscionable, considering the majority of the people affected by the analog cutoff are those who can't afford a fancy new digital TV, cable or satellite service. But on the other hand, President Obama has begun to promote a new broadband policy that emphasizes faster and better data connections to more Americans over a greater variety of platforms. The argument goes that broadband infrastructure is just as vital as the highways, bridges and electrical lines to achieving future prosperity. The problem is that the 700 MHz spectrum at the center of the DTV transition debate is one of the keys to growth as a broadband nation.